[BaronPampa]

Hi,

I’m trying to fit myself a new monitor. Due to various reasons, I have these constraints:

– A single monitor
– Resolution of 1080p
– Size of 24″
– Refresh rate of over 120Hz
– Great blacks
– Decent gaming performance

Monitor will be used for gaming (FPS and RPG games), programming and watching movies. According to my research, there are two reviewed monitors I should like:

– AOC C24G1, I can get only a used one due to availability issues
– Samsung C24FG73. I’m testing one currently and it would be great, but I find the blacks a bit lacking, so dark scenes lose detail

Is there any monitor I should know of before I settle for something? I’ve seen ones like AOC C24G2U, MSI G24C6, or Odyssey G3, but G3 has mediocre reviews, while C24G2U and G24C6 seem to lack any reviews. I’m asking because both C24G1 and C24FG73 have a few years, so I figure that something newer might have better technology.

Edit: 2560 × 1080 resolution and appropriately bigger size would be OK too.

[PCM2]

Hi BaronPampa,

The AOC C24G1 is the key VA model in this class I’d recommend if you’re interested primarily in decent gaming performance and also for movies where it is specifically recommended at the moment.

– The AOC and Samsung are compared in this thread.

– This recent thread is also relevant as to why I recommend the AOC specifically but don’t recommend any direct ‘successors’ or alternatives.

– This post reinforces this by comparing the C24G1 and C24G2U. The pixel overdrive simply isn’t as well-tuned as on the C24G1 – pixel response times leave a lot to be desired.

I wouldn’t really describe any of these models as having “great blacks”. Though the Samsung does tend to have higher levels of ‘VA glow’ and is perhaps more prone to uniformity issues. The uniformity issues such as backlight bleed and clouding can vary between units, yours may have been quite poor in that regard. There were a few comparisons made between that and the C24FG70 (different stand to CFG73, otherwise the same) in our review of the AOC which just reinforced that the AOC we tested was a bit stronger than the Samsung in that domain. I’d highly recommend you have your room appropriately lit when viewing any of these models, or if your room is otherwise dimly lit consider some bias lighting behind the monitor – it can really help. In fact it can make IPS models more useable than you might think in an otherwise dim room, too. Take a look at the C24G1 successor thread and the direction the user there took in the end despite his initial reservations about IPS contrast.

The AOC CQ27G2(U) is an alternative I’d recommend if 2560 x 1440 is more appealing; it’s better for productivity due to it offering much better ‘desktop real estate’ and it also benefits from having regular subpixels without partial subpixel illumination (see calibration section of review for explanation). Again, don’t expect blacks to be ‘great’ – especially in a dimly lit environment. The pixel responsiveness isn’t at the level of the C24G1, though – it’s not ‘terrible’ in that respect and there aren’t any 27″ WQHD VA alternatives I’d recommend that are significantly better than the CQ27G2U in that respect. The flat alternative (Q27G2U) is also worth exploring if that’s available to you. Thread exploring 27″ options including the AOCs.

[BaronPampa]

Thank you for great and swift reply!

Thanks to the information you provided I’ve decided to abandon thoughts about newer models and get the used C24G1 I have access to. I’ll report whether it fits my needs sometime next week.

Thank you for the point about bias lighting, that’s a new concept for me and I’m going to check it out. I strongly prefer dark rooms, it sounds like something that should improve my experience while keeping the overall light level low.

1440p is unfortunately not an option. My RX 570 already struggles at 1080p, and GPU market is in bad shape right now.

I have two questions:
> I wouldn’t really describe any of these models as having “great blacks”.
Does it mean that there aren’t “great blacks” available at high-refresh 1080p 24″ monitors?

> it can make IPS models more useable than you might think in an otherwise dim room, too.
I suppose that if I wanted to give IPS a chance, you’d recommend Alienware AW2521HF or Acer XB253Q GP, per your gaming monitor recommendations?

[PCM2]

Really it’s just that “great” is a strong word. The contrast experience on the C24G1 is about as good as you’ll get from a 24″ model, but with a static contrast ratio of ~3000:1 after adjustment (plus a bit of ‘VA glow’) it still doesn’t deliver a “great” experience in a dark room This is subjective, of course. And it’s certainly still good in that respect and well above average. And yes, those are the key IPS recommendations of this size. 🙂

[BaronPampa]

Hi, I’m chiming in after testing several monitors to summarise my feelings about them:

AOC C24G1: I’ve managed to snatch two units, but I returned them both due to dead pixels without much testing
MSI C24G4: Little glow, good color and good blacks. Unfortunately, too much smearing
AOC C24G2U/BK: Smearing even worse than on C24G4
Samsung C24FG73: A stuck pixel appeared on the one I was testing and currently I have another one. I like the colours and motion handling, but unfortunately it’s once again a bit too glowy for my taste – seems like that’s a characteristic of this model, since both units had this issue.

I’m running out of monitors to test. If I could get C24FG73 motion with C24G1 glow/blacks I’d be quite delighted, but it seems hard to attain. I’m staying with C24FG73 I think, I might swap it for C24G1 when one will become available. I’ve ordered some bias lighting to help with the contrast and glow, but it hasn’t arrived yet. Once I have it I’ll update this post.

How do I test smearing: I run a few minutes of Hades and Diablo 2. If the whole background becomes visibly darker when running, smearing is bad. If background stays more or less at the same brightness, it’s good enough for me. C24FG73 is good enough in that regards.

[PCM2]

Thanks for sharing your feedback, though it’s a shame you didn’t find one single model to be a clear winner in all respects. I do hope the bias lighting setup will help draw your eye away from any ‘VA glow’ and other contrast weaknesses as it sounds again like the C24FG73 could work well for you if that aspect can be improved. 🙂

[Taisho]

Here are all flat VA 24″ 120Hz+ monitors from 2021, not all available yet, the majority of data comes from displayspecifications.com:

We know how bad the 144Hz panel performs from various YouTube videos, testing of the Odyssey G3 on RTINGS and ASUS VG247Q1A on TFT Central (CSOT SG2381B01-2).

M238HVN02.0 CELL from AUO has a 20ms typical GTG response in panel specs (the only panel manufacturer honest with their response time?), so that’s very disappointing, and as much as I’m looking forward to seeing how it performs on testufo.com, my hopes are very low.

AOpen is Asia-only. I don’t care about AOC and Philips monitors, so I didn’t do any checks on them. Probably it’s SG2381B01-2, might be SG2381B01-4. With its gamut volume, unicorns and rainbows may look good, but that’s not the kind of content I’m interested in.

Lenovo G24e-20 seems to use a unique panel, so I still have some foolish hope.

I would have bought AOC C24G1 myself already if not for that curve. It’s a shame that while there are already quite good 1440p 27″ VA options, 24″ 1080p that I can use without scaling, presents very little choice.

[PCM2]

I can fill you in on the flat options from AOC and Philips as I’ve gathered some user and reviewer feedback on these (including Philips 242E1GSJ/242E1GAJ and related models with CSOT panels) myself – they follow the same sort of trajectory as the other models. Poor pixel responsiveness with significant ‘smeary’ trailing and related weaknesses. So unfortunately your analysis is entirely correct, there’s nothing else quite like the C24G1 in flat form. AOpen are just rebranded Acers and they perform poorly as well. Given the lack of innovation or panel manufacturer interest or focus on VA models in general, even more so for smaller and lower resolution panels, I’m not confident this will change.

[Chronos]

Hi! I am gonna intrude to ask something.

Is the AOC C24G1 worth it at 270 euros? It seems a bit overpriced.

Other prices for comparison:
– AOC 24G2: 200 euros
– Dell S2721HGF: 220 euros
– Dell S2722DGM: 340 euros
– MSI MAG272CQR: 270 euros
– MSI MAG251RX: 300 euros

My preference is a 1080p VA panel and the AOC C24G1 is well reviewed everywhere but it was a lot cheaper then. Right now i can find 1440p 144Hz or 1080p 240Hz monitors for the same price.

[PCM2]

Whilst that is expensive for the C24G1, it remains a unique product as this thread highlights. If you strongly prefer a ~24″ VA panel and the Full HD resolution then that’s really the best option. If you look at it like that, it may well be worth it. Alternatively you could consider an IPS option and working on your lighting conditions so its contrast weaknesses are less apparent. Bias lighting or some light behind the monitor can help in an otherwise dimly lit room, whilst under brighter conditions any weaknesses in contrast are much less apparent. This is something we mention in our recent reviews.

[BaronPampa]

I’ve thought I’d share the results of my last years search.

I’ve kept the C24FG73 since I’ve tested like 10 different monitors anyway. What I realized after more usage was that it’s flaw that was annoying me wasn’t really the glow, but bad vertical gamma shift. No big deal since it broke after a month or two with two with green patterns appearing for a few minutes each time I turned the computer on, so I’ve called in the seller’s guarantee…and then the seller’s warehouse got flooded and I got my money back.

Since the search was so dissasfysfying I’ve figured I must have been doing something wrong, so I’ve ordered three completely different monitors this time:
– AOC C24G1. No bad pixels. Good monitor indeed, like C24FG73, but with much better viewing angles, and the motion handling seemed comparable or better.
– AOC 24G2U, the IPS one
– HP Omen x25 f, a 240hz TN panel

Tn was quickly out – it had no backlight bleed and good black uniformity, but the viewing angles made the experience quite meh. I’ve moved on to comparing 24G2 with C24G1 side by side. I’ve kept the IPS despite my initial search parameters – I think I’ve lucked out unit with little glow and little backlight bleed. C24G1 had a batman pattern out of the light splashes, which made dark scenes worse than those on IPS.

Few months later and I’ve switched jobs, which made my workspace not big enough, so I’ve started looking for a second monitor. I really liked the Omen’s gorgeous motion, so I’ve ordered HP Omen x25 f again, and VG258QM in addition. I won’t order less than one monitor anymore due to high risk of bad pixels and other defects. Match between these two was quite equal, but I liked Omen’s motion better, it was cheaper, it has a handy headphone stand incorporated into it’s stand, and a small USB hub.

Last friday I came up with idea for a shader that would modify gamma non-uniformly across the screen in a way that would fix TN viewing angles, and…I succeeded in creating it quite quickly. I don’t see any disadvantages to using it, and I can apply it to movies and video games alike, so angles bother me only when working(browser/code editor). The Omen is now my primary monitor I use for content consumption. Despite measly 800:1 contrast ratio it doesn’t have backlight bleed, and it has quite good black uniformity. Bias lighting helps a lot with the low contrast. It turns out that what I should have been looking for from the very beginning was good black uniformity instead of high contrast. The aforementioned shader is a gamebreaker too, allowing me to enjoy advantages of TN without it’s biggest flaw.

I think I’ll stay with this setup until it makes sense for me to upgrade to OLED or something with decent FALD.

[PCM2]

Thanks for sharing your continued experiences with various LCD panel technologies, BaronPampa. It’s neat that you were able to improve your viewing experience for games and movies on the TN models with some variable gamma tweaks at different points of the screen. And it’s nice that you’re now happy enough with your setup to keep on using it until the monitors can be replaced with a suitable alternative.

[Taisho]

Finally, there is a good option around. LG 24GQ50F-B (not available directly in Europe). A pity that response time wasn’t checked at lower refresh rates, but it’s simply amazing for a VA monitor:
LG 24GQ50F-B UltraGear review

[PCM2]

That’s pretty good for a budget VA model, I agree – and thanks for sharing this. I wouldn’t go as far as to say pixel responsiveness on the 24GQ50F is “simply amazing” – for example, it isn’t up to the levels of higher-end Samsung Odyssey models in terms of distinctly ‘non-VA’ pixel responsiveness. A complete apples to oranges comparison of course, but that to me would be amazing to see. 😉 For those not wanting to scour the entire review, you can see some pursuit videography using the reviewer’s preferred ‘Fast’ pixel overdrive setting here. There is still some ‘smeary’ trailing or perhaps what I might describe, if I’m being generous, as ‘heavy powdery’ trailing. Not the extensive ‘smeary’ trailing many VA models show, at least for the transitions shown with Test UFO. There appears to be some overshoot mixed in, but as the reviewer says not as much of an issue with the ‘Fast’ setting as the ‘Faster’ setting. Yes, this could become increasingly obvious at reduced refresh rates even with the ‘Fast’ setting.

It would certainly be interesting to see (or read extensive feedback on) how it performs over a broader range of transitions as well. Shame it’s an LG model and their UK PR team is as good as non-existent, but I could perhaps try to acquire one if it would be of interest to people here. And perhaps it is given how ‘long in the tooth’ that C24G1 recommendation is. Though I think the BenQ EX240N might be a more likely candidate for review (I can’t promise I’ll get around to looking at either model, however).

[Taisho]

From what I checked, out of all European stores, LG 24GQ50F-B is available only on OcUK and in some stores in Greece. 50 euro shipping from Greece, imagine having a dead pixel and returning it for another 50. If the availability doesn’t improve, I’m going to buy a BenQ EX240N because it’s already listed in some polish stores, just not available for order yet. I would have no issue with a 14-day return if needed.

[PCM2]

That would indeed be an unnecessarily expensive annoyance! If you do go for the BenQ your feedback would be very welcome. 🙂

[Taisho]

I’ve just ordered BenQ EX240N directly from BenQ online store. €191 with free shipping and a 30-day free return is the best offer in the EU at the moment. Also, stores in Poland are infamous for their “novelty tax”, so I decided not to wait.

I’ll check this monitor on testufo.com/ghosting, using various refresh rates (not sure if I will have a DP cable for the max refresh rate though). I also have an i1Display Pro, so I can check the color temperature, contrast, gamut width, sRGB coverage, and uniformity before and after gamma 2.2 RGB calibration (I’m not using ICC profiles). My favorite jack of all trades luminosity is around 95 nits, so I’m going to stick to this value. I will also check how it compares to my current 3000:1 VA monitor with a full black screen in a dark room.

Still, I’m very, very skeptical about this monitor having a response time on par with LG 24GQ50F-B.

[PCM2]

I look forward to your thoughts on it when it arrives. Hopefully you are happy with its performance, but if not at least you’ve gone via a route that allows easy returns.

[Taisho]

I’ve just received the BenQ EX240N. I’ll run some tests with i1Display Pro later, but I already know I’ll be returning it because of poor response times. From the positives, there were no dead pixels, and the monitor is sturdy with almost no wobble. There is absolutely no coil whine during the operation or on standby and I haven’t heard any crackling of plastic caused by sunrays hitting the back of the monitor (especially the latter is annoying in my current monitor).

Here is my current Acer QG241Y 75Hz VA monitor for reference, at the optimal (the highest) overdrive setting:

On the BenQ, there is a setting called AMA, their custom name for Overdrive, levels are from 0 to 3. Here are a few from my observations:
1. There is no single best AMA setting for all refresh rates, but AMA 2 is the most flexible.
2. AMA 0, so basically Overdrive off, is useless.
3. AMA 1 is a preferred setting at 60Hz. AMA 2 creates a significant pale halo around the UFO in the bottom row.
4. AMA 2 is a preferred setting for the 100-120Hz range. AMA 3 could be considered for 120Hz, as it slightly reduces the dark trail (for the top row only marginally), but the bottom row UFO receives a noticeable overshoot that can result in even worse outcomes in real-life situations. However, I would never use AMA 3 on this monitor just because of how much overshoot there would be at lower refresh rates.
5. AMA 3 is a preferred setting for the 144-165Hz range.
6. Assuming the optimal AMA for each refresh rate range is used, the lower the refresh rate, the better things look like on testufo. A 120 or 100Hz refresh rate would be a sweet spot to cap this monitor at.

This is 100Hz:

and this is 120Hz:

After some real-life tests, the BenQ EX240N performed surprisingly well in dark environments such as Discord and Gamers Nexus website where my current monitor fails. There was basically no sign of ghosting, at least for a person used to very annoying levels. The higher refresh rate could also improve the experience. Unfortunately, this is where the positives end. It failed the CPU cooler test (radiator fins are nasty for VAs). There was a lot of shimmering when scrolling. Even though the fins are silverish, with dark shadows between them, the shimmers have a clear yellowish tint. Moreover, the BenQ EX240N introduced a problem that did not exist before. There is a black font used on grey background with a few orange underlines – after scrolling, the whole text receives a lemon background. My current monitor is at least quite reliable in light color settings. After seeing this artifact, I again compared the testufo results and indeed it looks like my Acer QG241Y has noticeably less yellowish and greenish trailing.

[PCM2]

Thanks very much for ‘taking one for the team’, Taisho, and testing out the EX240N. Your extensive impressions and pursuit photographs are very useful and unfortunately do paint a picture of typical VA weaknesses. It’s very disappointing to see that there are some clear and in places annoying weaknesses with its pixel response times, particularly for the situations with ‘high contrast’ transitions that you described very well. At least the build quality seems agreeable, but that won’t be enough to redeem it given you were specifically looking for decent responsiveness. That shines the light back on the LG 24GQ50F as a unique alternative, I just hope as well that availability of that improves across Europe.

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